station. There were five of us and two cats. My saving graces have been my passion for doing well, my competitive nature and my resilience. I always did well in school and sports. My competitiveness always put me at the top of my class, wherever I was. I didn't have a whole lot of life guidance and it wasn't until my freshman year at the local junior college that someone really paid any close attention to me and gave me some advice. My professor for an elective class-the history of jazz-saw my potential in a paper I'd written about Miles Davis. He encouraged me to apply to go to a university, to think big. From there, I became a biochemistry major with the hope of becoming a dentist. You've described periods of your life as nomadic. Before we get into your professional career, tell us about your personal path. I was raised by the community around me. Saying I grew up " nomadic " is just a way to glamorize my crappy childhood. My parents struggled with addiction and their own demons. I changed primary schools 11 times before I graduated from high school. My family went through rough times of being homeless; relatives or family friends would take us in. I spent a season of my life living in a pull-behind trailer behind a Chevron 38 JULY 2021 // dentaltown.com Why public health instead of your own private practice? From early on, I knew that I wanted to make a huge impact in the dental care given at a public health level. I graduated dental school naively wanting to change the world; it didn't take long for me to realize that my impact would take time and I needed to focus on the dental provider relationship with my patients. There is this level of mistrust between patients and public health dentists. I wanted to break through that wall. Once my patients saw that I wasn't just another dentist trying to pay off my studenthttp://www.dentaltown.com